


To Love!: A Romantic Otome Adventure

by shindemiru



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Romance, Slice of Life, Video & Computer Games
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-12
Packaged: 2019-03-04 01:49:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13353972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shindemiru/pseuds/shindemiru
Summary: Baekhyun, a reclusive gamer, gets sucked into an otome game where the only way to leave is by choosing the correct route.





	To Love!: A Romantic Otome Adventure

It was raining outside. The cold, dampness of gloomy weather was a good enough excuse to keep anyone indoors, but Baekhyun would have stayed inside regardless. Come rain or shine, hell or high water, it was all the same to him. His mother often nagged him to try and go outside since she wasn’t sure whether she was raising a son or a ghost in their two-bedroom apartment with him being as pale as he was. Even just standing by an open window for an hour or two would suffice, she would tell him. So to compensate, Baekhyun would make the occasional journey outdoors to his second personal haven. 

The Spot was his town’s local gaming store filled with all things game and comic book related. It was the only other place Baekhyun felt safe in and he didn’t mind spending hours on end scouring through the shelves, carefully selecting his future purchases. The store owner was perhaps the only other person aware of his existence and given their lengthy history of business transactions, Baekhyun trusted the man in understanding his tastes when it came to games. 

“I added a few to the list,” The shopkeeper said choppily, his accent bruising over a few syllables, “I’ll go ahead and put it on your tab.”

Baekhyun nodded, readily receiving his bag of goods. The doorbell chimed as he left the store and he made his way home, making sure not to make eye-contact with anyone on the bus in case they should sense his prized possessions in hand. Once there, he threw his damp hoodie onto his bed and shuffled through the many emptied bags of snacks left littered on the floor, then plops himself onto a worn-out computer chair in front of a what looked to be two widescreen television screens fused together. This, and his complex gaming system, comprised his own private sanctuary. 

Nothing else in the world seemed to matter. 

Tearing into an unopened box of strawberry pepero, Baekhyun slipped a few sugar coated sticks into his mouth as he started off on a new game. The graphics weren’t what he was expecting, though. Instead of overly bulked out men dressed in flashy battle armor, he saw blinding color combinations of bright oranges and blues followed by a series of hearts and exclamation marks covering his screen. Suddenly five men appeared, each one winking or smiling with a hand outstretched for whatever reason. They were all highly attractive by society’s standards in varying degrees. It made him want to puke. 

Baekhyun squinted, reading the emboldened pink font aloud.

“‘To Love!’..?” He grimaced at the title, but decided to humor himself a few minutes more. Because why the hell not?

The next screen was a list of character customization options. 

[ Female? Or Male? ]

Baekhyun scoffed. _Male_ , obviously.

An avatar materialized, bald and mostly naked save for a pair of clean underwear. Baekhyun noted that he was slim and short in stature, much like himself, but with delicate features definitely befitting the characteristics of a pretty boy. Baekhyun proceeded despite his disdain and went through an elimination process of clothes. His own wardrobe consisted primarily of three hoodies, a number of dark colored t-shirts with obscure band titles on the front, and some jeans which have all seen better days. The styles given to him here contrasted vastly from what he would normally deem ‘alright’, with their pristinely preppy outfits.

‘Barf.’ Baekhyun gagged, uncertain of how color coordination worked or why anyone would bother investing so much time dressing up an avatar in the first place. There were no battles to be won here, evidently. No power ups or level changes. So what was the point?

A few hairstyles and default shirt items later, Baekhyun came to an internal agreement with himself that anything was better than having an avatar running around in some tidy whities. 

The scene changed to black.

 

[ … ]

[ … buzz, buzz … ]

 _“H-huh? Is it morning already?”_ The words read on the monitor.

His brand new creation came on the screen in bunny printed pajamas with a sleepy expression, hair tousled messily but still looking far more presentable than he ever did. He faded then reappeared again, but this time dressed in the same outfit Baekhyun had chosen for him. 

“ _My first day of college, how exciting! I wonder if Chanyeol-ah is awake yet._ ”

[ Send Chanyeol a text? Yes or No. ]

Baekhyun stared at the choices in front of him, visibly disgruntled. What kind of name was Chanyeol, anyway?

Opting to send the text, more words soon followed.

 _“I wonder if I’ll like my new school or make new friends…”_ He watched as a bashful blush spread across his avatar’s face, all flowery and crap, _“Maybe this might even be the year I fall in love—”_

— Hold up.

‘What the hell kind of garbage is this?!’ Baekhyun fumed inwardly, swearing to give that store owner a piece of his mind via email for even thinking he’d be into this sort of thing. This was slander and defamation of the highest degree!

He immediately pressed the eject button on his controller, his frown deepening when the game refused to budge. A few more determined presses were made but to no avail. His next reaction was to give his PC a swift kick since, all logic aside, kicking an inanimate object into obeying his command made absolute sense. 

However a second kick caused the system to blip and blitz, creating loud bursts of electricity and smoke. Baekhyun coughed and shielded his eyes with his arm, peering over and hoping that the chaos would soon die down. But the smoke grew thicker, denser, making it impossible to see or even breathe. This wasn’t the way he wanted to die! How could he even explain dying to his mother? 

He watched in helpless horror as parts of his body slowly started to disappear, starting first with his fingers as they thinned out into mere particles which were soon sucked into the black hole of his computer screen, until finally the rest of his body was swallowed whole. He expected to feel pain.

Instead, it all went dark.

 

 

Baekhyun woke up with a start, his heart pounding as he bolted upright in a bed that felt very foreign to him. 

“Whoa, hey— calm down!” He heard another male voice say.

Instinctively, he reached around himself to check if his body parts were intact. Once he was assured that nothing had gone missing, his eyes directly went to the only other person in the room. He was tall and had broad shoulders and carried a naturally friendly disposition. His red hair was swiped back, revealing a rather good looking face and clear complexion. 

“Who- who are you?” Baekhyun stammered, casting the redhead a suspicious glare.

Chanyeol sighed, still grinning, “Not this game again.. aigo.” The bed shifted underneath the added weight as Chanyeol sat beside him. “It’s me, your best friend Chanyeol. We’ve known each other since third grade and you’re the kim to my bap, silly.” 

Baekhyun’s glare hardened, “And what are you doing in my room?”

“You texted me to come over this morning, remember?” Chanyeol rose from the bed and picked up a random book from Baekhyun’s nightstand, it looked to be some kind of romance manga judging by the cover. Baekhyun made a sour face and makes a mental note to burn that thing as soon as possible.

Looking around the room, he noticed how similar it was to the one he had back home. His real home, that is. Except the only difference was instead of gaming posters and action figurines lining his walls, pictures covered with friends and other smiling faces were in their place. He had no recollection of who these people were, and weirder still was the fact he saw some doppelganger version of himself standing among them with a smile just as wide. 

“Finish getting ready and I’ll meet you outside, okay?”

Baekhyun’s attention snapped back to Chanyeol who had finished collecting his things and was standing by the doorway.

“Better hurry before Jongin and Joonmyun finish all the food.” 

He shoots Chanyeol a quizzical look but he was already gone. Without thinking twice, Baekhyun scrambles to get dressed just so he could get the hell out of there. But the reflection in the mirror on his way down the hall stops him dead in his tracks. The person staring back at him was a complete stranger to him. He still looked the same in regards to his face and body, but he’d never seen himself look so— polished. 

“Yeah, yeah.. we all know you’re good looking.” A voice quipped from behind him.

Baekhyun whipped around quickly to find a finely dressed male with dark hair and pale skin standing behind him. He seemed easy-going by nature, maybe even a little excitable, but his eyes looked gentle enough.

“Jongin has your lunch packed.”

So this one must be Joonmyun, he figured.

He nods numbly, slipping past him and heads straight into the kitchen where he would meet a third person. The boy named Jongin was also tall and Baekhyun wonders if he plays some kind of sport based on the perfect physique he’s in. He also expected a rough personality to match the exterior, but a smile like that could melt even the coldest of hearts. Throw in some puppies and butterflies, and that pretty much sums up this guy. The tanned male hands him a carefully wrapped paper bag which he assumed contained the contents of his lunch, and he accepted, albeit a bit timidly. 

“Have a good day, hyung!”

Baekhyun murmurs a ‘thank you’ in passing meekly before joining the same guy he met earlier.

Chanyeol was on his phone when Baekhyun arrives.

“Ready to go?” He asks while pocketing his phone, smiling good-naturedly.

“I guess so,” he responds, sounding uncertain, “do you know those people?”

“Not as well as you do,” Chanyeol snorts in amusement, “They’re your roommates, after all. They moved in over the summer and seem pretty nice.”

Baekhyun wonders how everyone could be so calm considering his abrupt arrival through some warped black hole. It was almost unnerving how easily everyone accepted him into their lives despite not actually knowing him. They continue their walk at a moderate pace and Baekhyun finds that Chanyeol can talk about anything. He also finds that it doesn’t bother him so much even though he hardly spoke a word to anyone back home. 

“Did you know that ferrets are the only member of the weasel family to be domesticated as pets?” He hears Chanyeol say excitedly, “oh, and if a ferret is introduced to a hawk while it’s still young, the hawk will accept the ferret as its hunting partner.”

Baekhyun makes a face, “Why do you know so much about ferrets?”

“Because I’m going to become a vet and maybe own a ferret rescue shelter someday.” Chanyeol replies matter-of-factly, “I’ve told you this a million times!”

Baekhyun was about to voice out an argument but was cut short upon seeing large iron gates opened wide, bearing two lion sculptures set atop stone pillars. The sight was indeed very grand, but grander still was the establishment before them. The campus grounds were encompassed with lush, green grass and the hedges were all maintained without a single leaf out of place. As they walked further, Baekhyun noticed that the very architecture of the university building possessed a sovereign magnificence with its tall arches and reflective glass windows. The watchtower at its very center began to ring, declaring the hour when classes would soon begin. 

He noticed there were many students present. All male, funnily enough. But surely such a thing like higher institutions made exclusively for men wasn’t entirely unheard of, he figures. Baekhyun followed Chanyeol closely, making sure not to lose sight of the taller man which proved to be somewhat difficult since the majority were just as tall, if not taller. This makes Baekhyun hope there wasn’t a height requirement enforced in order to attend this place. 

Once inside, his senses feel overloaded by the sheer grandeur of it all. He couldn’t believe how people just waltzed around here so casually. The wide passageways had marbled flooring, and the elaborately designed staircases made him wonder how easy it was to get lost even on the first level alone. He saw many faces as they passed by, but one in particular caught his attention. It was a lanky silver haired boy with sharp looking features. He had an icy expression with lips pressed firmly into a deep set scowl. 

Maybe it was his eyes playing tricks on him, because he could have sworn— 

‘Is that kid glaring at me..?!’

Baekhyun glances over his shoulder one more time to check, and sure enough that boy’s gaze was on him like a target to a sharpshooter.

There wasn’t much time to react as Chanyeol ushers him into a random classroom. 

Apparently, their first class of the day was Physics. 

It wasn’t the best way to start off the day in his opinion; but since math and science were both subjects he excelled in, he didn’t see much need to worry.

Their professor was a stern looking man in spite of a youthful face. He wore glasses and was of medium build with strong shoulders, and his presence alone managed to quiet an entire room of boisterous young men. There was an authoritative air to him which made Baekhyun’s stomach curl.

“Good morning.”

The whole class echoed his greeting monotonously. 

“My name is Do Kyungsoo. You may address me as Professor Do or Sir, or simply Professor, and only that. Any questions so far?”

Not a single soul made a peep, so he proceeded.

“You’ll find in front you the syllabus for this semester. Please refer to it as needed since I fully intend to stay on schedule. For those of you who think just because this is the first day of class that I would go easy on you—” He paused, adjusting his glasses, “I’m sorry, but you are sorely mistaken. Please take out your textbooks and turn to page 138.”

There was a tense silence and no other sound was made aside from pages turning.

The lecture droned on and Baekhyun found himself struggling to pay attention. It’s not as though he didn’t try to stay awake, but he couldn’t help that his eyelids felt heavier by the minute, or that his head suddenly felt like a ton of bricks, and his last conscious thought was about how he probably should’ve eaten breakfast. To make matters worse, his book made for a great substitute pillow.

 

_THWACK!_

Baekhyun hissed in pain, reeling back in his seat with both hands covering his head defensively in case there was a second attack. He was rudely awakened to find the eyes of all his startled classmates on him, including Chanyeol who had desperately attempted to wake him; but worst of all was the ominous glare burning through his skull.

“And your name is?” He heard the Professor question venomously.

“B-Byun Baekhyun, Professor Do, sir.” Baekhyun answers shakily, wanting to melt right out of his seat if that meant getting away from this monster. 

He watched his eyes narrow, “Please see me after class.”

That sounded pretty much like a death sentence. 

Baekhyun sighed in resignation, his shoulders slumping, “yes, sir.”

The rest of class went on without any added damage to his pride, but he knew causing trouble right off the bat meant gaining unwanted attention from the other students. Baekhyun wished time would stop altogether to avoid having to spend any one-on-one time with Professor Do. ‘He could be pretty scary looking if it weren’t for how handsome he is.’ Baekhyun froze, banishing the thought from his mind, feeling disgust well up inside him. But time went on, and everyone was dismissed at the sound of the school bell; everyone else but himself, that is.

“I’ll wait for you outside.” Chanyeol says, hoping to perk Baekhyun up a bit.

But Baekhyun just shakes his head, “Something tells me this might take longer than a slap on the wrist,” he looks over at him and attempts a smile; it doesn’t work, “thanks anyway, but you should really go ahead. I’ll catch up with you later.”

There’s a wistfulness in Chanyeol’s eyes which does something funny to his chest. Baekhyun can’t explain it, but promptly decides to shove it away somewhere where he wouldn’t have to think about it anymore. They wave to each other as Chanyeol leaves, still rather reluctantly. Truth be told, Baekhyun wanted him to stay and he knew the other would have if he just asked him to; but this was something he had to face by himself. 

With everyone gone, Baekhyun summons the courage to stand in front of the Professor’s desk. He was busy scanning through some documents, leaving Baekhyun at a loss on what to do. Had he forgotten he’d ask him to stay behind? Was it alright to just leave?

“Have a seat, Mister Byun.”

'Oh, no.'

“Yes, sir.”

He takes the first seat in the front, the one directly facing the Professor’s desk. Baekhyun muses that whoever was unfortunate enough to receive this desk must certainly sweat bullets on a daily basis.

“Do you know why you’re here?”

Baekhyun responds cautiously, “because.. I fell asleep in class?”

“In _my_ class.” His Professor corrects him, emphasizing the difference heatedly.

Baekhyun flinches and tries to avert his gaze elsewhere. 

“I am aware that there is a policy in this school concerning punishment; however, in regards to your behavior in class today, I will be administering cleaning duty for you at the end of this week.”

There was a finality to his tone that makes Baekhyun feel uneasy. His vocal cords felt strained when he tries to speak, only managing to wheeze out a hoarse sounding, “Yes, sir.”

The answer seems to appease his Professor’s requirements. 

“I will update you on the time and place some time this week. You will also be closely supervised to make sure you’ve completed the list made for you.” The Professor casts a sidewards glance towards the door, “You may go.”

Baekhyun bows after the dismissal, turning on his heel to leave. He couldn’t resist a sigh of relief when the door closes behind him. 

‘That wasn’t so bad’, he thinks, ‘If only I can just make it through the week, I’ll be just be fine.’

He trudged along the now emptied hallway, dragging his feet as he heads towards his next class. He wonders idly if his second Professor would be just as bad as the first, and he remained lost in thought until Baekhyun is stopped by someone blocking his way. He could have bypassed the guy with ease, but there was something about the way he was being looked at prevented him from doing so. It was the same frosty faced boy from earlier that morning. His arms were folded across his chest and his glacial glare brought chills down Baekhyun’s spine. Unlike himself, this person wore a fitted navy blue uniform detailed with grey silk along the collar. His posture and manner of dress were unmistakably upper class. 

“I’ve chosen you.” He hears the boy say.

Baekhyun’s brows scrunch together in confusion, “—what?”

“You heard me. I said I’ve chosen you.”

Baekhyun stares at him in pure disbelief, uncertain whether or not this was some kind of bad joke. 

“I need to get going.” Baekhyun says calmly, still trying to gather his thoughts. “I’m going to be late for class, so, excuse me.”

He tries to sidestep past him and he would have gotten away if it weren’t for the strong grip on his forearm. Baekhyun looks down to spot a hand firmly holding onto him and he reacts impulsively, trying to shake the boy off only to be pulled forwards. Baekhyun had never fought anyone before; then again, no one had noticed him long enough to even bother. But he was pretty sure he would’ve been on the losing end, either way. He braces himself by squeezing both eyes shut, anticipating a blow somewhere to the jaw like he’d seen in the movies.

But when no such pain arrives, Baekhyun anxiously opens an eye.

“You’re coming with me.” The boy whispers into his ear, heating his skin.

And before he knows it, Baekhyun is being whisked down the corridor towards the entrance by some stranger to God only knows where.

This has to be a bad joke, right?! A very, _very_ bad joke!

**Author's Note:**

> ngl, i was very much inspired by the new jumanji movie and crossed the idea with an otome game \8D/ 
> 
> constructive criticism is appreciated. 
> 
> enjoy!


End file.
